Mushroom Julienne

Onion and mushrooms

1. Homemade mushroom julienne turns out equally well with champignons, oyster mushrooms or porcini. An important component of the dish is crème fraîche, which can be replaced with good full-fat sour cream. By and large, the production of these fermented dairy products is not fundamentally different, and you can find them in large supermarkets. By the way, the dish is quite high in calories: it uses cream, butter and cheese.

2. Peel the onion and dice it. By the way, don’t skimp on the onion, as it makes the dish even tastier.

   

3. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of your best olive oil.

4. Fry the onion in the fat mixture until soft and just starting to take on a light color. Never overcook it, or it will leave an aftertaste.

   

5. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly and remove any remaining soil or growing substrate, leaves and so on.

6. The mushrooms should be sliced quite thin, and the julienne cut is perfect here. Cut each mushroom in half, then across into thin slices, 5-7 mm is enough.

7. Add them to the fried onion, stir and reduce the heat to medium-low.

   

8. While frying, the mushrooms release water, and it has to evaporate. Stirring, fry the mushrooms until all the free liquid has evaporated. This usually takes 10-15 mins, and then the actual frying begins, which you can see by the pieces turning golden.

   

9. Salt the onion and mushrooms and season them generously with ground black pepper. Don’t forget that mushroom julienne is an appetizer, and it is tastier with a pronounced spicy flavor.

Cream sauce

1. Meanwhile, prepare the cream sauce. Take a saucepan or a small pot with a handle.

2. Pour in 150 ml of natural cream with 30-33% fat. Add the crème fraîche to the cream right away. If you decide to use sour cream, I strongly recommend making sure it does not taste sour.

3. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, and it will start to thicken. If needed, add a little more crème fraîche.

   

4. The sauce should come out uniform and smooth-looking. You can let it simmer over very low heat for just 1-2 mins.

5. As soon as the mushrooms and onion are ready, pour the sauce over them and stir. Add more salt and black pepper to taste. The sauce with mushrooms and onion is quite thick, similar to custard in consistency. Be careful: when it boils, the thick mixture can splatter.

   

Ramekins and baking

1. Prepare several ceramic baking cups or cocottes, which are conical metal cups with a handle, about 150 ml in volume. They are often used for making individual baked appetizers. Grease the inner walls and bottom with a little butter.

2. Then divide all the prepared mushrooms among them, packing them tightly.

   

3. Finally, sprinkle the julienne with grated hard cheese. I mean cheese, not a cheese product of unknown origin. To make a nice cheese crust I usually use Emmental, Radamer or a similar cheese. Grate a piece on the coarse side of the grater and sprinkle it over the mushrooms in the cups to make a fairly thick, continuous layer. Press the cheese down lightly with your fingers.

   

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and put in the prepared cups of julienne. For convenience, you can put all the ramekins on one tray or in a large baking dish, so it is easier to take them out together afterwards.

5. Bake the dish until the cheese crust turns golden and starts to darken. Usually 25-30 mins is enough for it to be ready.

   

Serving

1. Carefully take the ramekins out of the oven, as they are very hot. Mushroom julienne should usually be served right away. For this, put each ramekin on a small plate or into a larger dish so you don’t burn your hands. Wrap a napkin around the handle of the cocotte, like a paper frill on a chop bone.

   

   Besides mushrooms, you can use chicken, seafood or fish. If you like, instead of the sauce made with cream and crème fraîche, you can make béchamel. It is simpler and the result will please you too. The appetizer is so tasty that you will simply forget how to spell it, julienne or “zhulyen”. Enjoy your meal!